Last week, Microsoft began selling its latest Surface tablets with Windows 10 onboard in the US, a few days after officially launching the new OS. Over in the UK, both devices are still being sold with Windows 8.1 pre-installed, but it"s not all bad news, as Microsoft is currently offering big discounts on its flagship tablet.
As part of the Microsoft Store"s "Back to School" deals, the company has cut up to £150 off all but the entry-level Surface Pro 3 model:
- Intel Core i3 / 64GB / 4GB RAM | £639 - no change
- Intel Core i5 / 128GB / 4GB RAM | was £849 | now £769 (£80 off)
- Intel Core i5 / 256GB / 8GB RAM | was £1079 | now £979 (£100 off)
- Intel Core i7 / 256GB / 8GB RAM | was £1299 | now £1179 (£120 off)
- Intel Core i7 / 512GB / 8GB RAM | was £1549 | now £1399 (£150 off)
As with other Windows 8.1 devices, the Surface Pro 3 is eligible for free upgrade to Windows 10, and while it may be an inconvenience to have to perform the upgrade yourself, rather than getting the new OS pre-installed, the discounts on the device should soften the blow.
While current stocks of the Pro 3, and its smaller Surface 3 sibling, are still shipping with Windows 8.1 onboard in the UK, this is only temporary. Microsoft is simply clearing out remaining UK inventory of tablets with 8.1 pre-installed, but once those units have been shifted, the Surface 3 and Pro 3 will start shipping there with Windows 10.
There"s no indication of exactly when these latest discounts will end - and it"s worth bearing in mind that while there"s still a few more weeks of the school summer holidays left, availability of such deals is sometimes limited to a certain number of units, so don"t wait too long if you"re thinking about grabbing a Surface Pro 3 at these prices.
Source: Microsoft Store